La Teta Asustada first Peruvian film in Oscar race

The Oscar nomination of Peru's La Teta Asustada (Milk of Sorrow) has generated a lot of excitement in the Andean nation, media reports said. Claudia Llosa's La Teta Asustada became Peru's first film to be nominated at the Oscars in the foreign language category. The film was one of the five nominees in that category.

"Peru in the Oscars", "Peru on Display" and "Nominated to Make History", were some of the headlines splashed on Lima dailies on Wednesday. The film's 23-year-old protagonist, Magaly Solier, was given rose bouquets and greeted by dozens of cheering fans when she arrived in Huanta city, where she lives, for a press conference.

In the film, Solier plays a young woman who suffers from a rare disease after she was raped during pregnancy. "What's happening is very important. No doubt it's an important moment for our cinema," said Francisco Lombardi, director of the 1988 film La boca del lobo (The Lion's Den).

Filmmaker Alberto Durant said "The success of La Teta... showcases us to the world" and expressed hope the government would give more support to the national film industry. The film, made at a cost of about $1.2 million, already grossed $700,000 at the box office in Peru, according to figures published by the financial daily Gestion.

But it will now be re-released at home and the film could bring in more than $3 million as a result of ticket sales abroad and money received from cable operators, president of the Peruvian Film Producers' Association, Augusto Tamayo, told Gestion.

Other films nominated in this year's foreign-language film Oscar were Germany's "Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte" (The White Ribbon), Argentina's El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in their Eyes), Israel's Ajami and France's Un Prophete (A Prophet).

The winners will be announced during the Academy Award ceremony March 7 in Hollywood, California.